While the kale craze is far from over, other greens are now getting well-deserved attention. The good news: All pack a nutritious punch, so when it comes to trying something new, follow your taste buds.
Salad stars
Arugula is perfect for spicing up salads 鈥� literally. The green鈥檚 small, tender leaves have a zesty, peppery flavor that works well on its own or as a supporting player in your bowl.
鈥淚t seems to be a little more popular than kale now,鈥� says Tam Serage, head grower at in Caledonia, Michigan, who includes arugula in the company鈥檚 salad mixes.
鈥淲e鈥檝e actually increased our arugula seeding because we鈥檙e seeing more demand for it.鈥�
Two others that are perfect for tossing, thanks to their petite leaves and big flavor: watercress, which is similar in taste to arugula, and the slightly more mild dandelion greens.
The bold and the beautiful
Mustard greens and rainbow chard聽(pictured at top) both have large, hearty, fibrous leaves similar in texture to kale, so they stand up well in a with garlic, onion, oil or wine, which softens veggies and mellows bitterness.聽
鈥淚 think mustard greens are becoming more popular because the flavor profile is bolder 鈥� and people鈥檚 palates have gotten bolder, too," says , MS, RD, a personal chef, culinary educator and executive chef at Root Functional Medicine in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Rainbow chard, in particular, has garnered attention because of its brightly colored stalks. 鈥淣owadays, anything that鈥檚 visually appealing shows up on social media and it just takes off from there,鈥� Struik says. Luckily, there鈥檚 substance behind the style.
Updated all-stars
One issue people have with kale is how fibrous it can be. Enter baby kale. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more delicate, so it鈥檚 easier to add to salads and blends nicely into smoothies,鈥� Struik says.
Revolution Farms has also recently seen a market for living lettuce. It sells a whole-head version of its crunchy, butter bibb with the roots still attached, which helps preserve flavor and crispness, Serage says. Tear off the leaves as needed, or put the roots in water to prolong freshness even more, he adds.